The food of tomorrow floats: In Kirchweidach in Upper Bavaria, Gemüsebau Steiner is working with the REWE Group on the new "Endless Summer" project, which is the first to use hydroponics to cultivate lettuce. The plants grow in a water basin and can be harvested at an early stage of growth and combined into a variety of mixtures - an approach that is unique in this form in Germany to date. The almost soilless cultivation is effective, particularly water-saving and possible all year round. The lettuces are grown on a total of four hectares in ultra-modern greenhouses that are heated with climate-friendly geothermal energy. This use of renewable heat saves around 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ every year and reinforces the particularly resource-efficient nature of the cultivation.

The advantages of the hydroponic process are also clear to customers: the lettuce plants are grown 100 per cent naturally, are of the highest quality and are particularly clean. This means they stay fresh for up to seven days longer. The resource-conserving approach to hydroponic cultivation makes an important contribution to more sustainable vegetable production: short cultivation cycles of 22 to 32 days and a circulating water system that requires around 90 per cent less water and does not need any pesticides ensure a predictable and continuous supply. Energy-saving LED lamps are also used in the greenhouse.

The REWE Group and Gemüsebau Steiner have enjoyed a close partnership for around ten years. The new hydroponics project will now further strengthen this collaboration and add an innovative component: "After four years of intensive development work, we are delighted to be working with REWE Group to realise another flagship project for sustainable and modern vegetable cultivation," emphasises Florian Steiner, Managing Director of Endless Summer and Gemüsebau Steiner. "We are particularly enthusiastic about the quality and freshness of the salads - a claim that has been at the centre of our focus from the very beginning. This project shows how modern technology and responsible farming can work together to offer customers a truly high-quality product. Now we hope that consumers will also be infected by our passion for fresh salads."

The salad mixes from hydroponic cultivation are offered - depending on the sales line - under the private labels REWE Beste Wahl, REWE Regional and PENNY Marktliebe. endless Summer REWE Group also sees the joint project as an important step: "For us, it is crucial to focus on food that not only convinces today, but also lasts in the long term and enables sustainable consumption. This is exactly where we come in with our strong partner from the southern region: Endless Summer's hydroponic lettuce cultivation stands for concrete steps towards lower emissions, greater energy efficiency and greater responsibility towards future generations," says Elisabeth Promberger, Chairwoman of the Management Board of REWE Region Süd.

This applies equally to REWE Group's discount segment: "We want to offer our customers products that impress in terms of quality and freshness and are also produced sustainably. The hydroponic salad combines these two expectations in an ideal way - a win-win situation for PENNY," adds Tina Mangold, Head of PENNY Region South.

The salad mixes from hydroponic cultivation are offered - depending on the sales line - under the private labels REWE Beste Wahl, REWE Regional and PENNY Marktliebe. The first mix, "Crispy Mix", is now available in all REWE stores in Bavaria. Other varieties will follow successively and will also be introduced in additional REWE regions, including a wild herb mix. After Easter, the "Endless Summer" salad mixes will also be available in PENNY stores in the southern region before being rolled out nationwide in all PENNY stores.